


Though I Came With Questions (I've Resisted Answers)

by imbouncingoffthewalls



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mechanic!Han, lando is the best bro of all time, photographer!luke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9938159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imbouncingoffthewalls/pseuds/imbouncingoffthewalls
Summary: Luke and Han had been in each other's lives for five years when Han decided he had to go. Nearly two years later, Han comes back.





	1. Chapter One

There had been a time in Luke’s life when the thought of Han being a mere memory was unfathomable. Perhaps he was just naive, but Luke had never once stopped to consider, in all the years that they’d known each other, that Han might choose to leave. They’d met when Luke was still in college, Han fresh out. Luke’d been a sophomore at the time, in a bar for the first time.

That’s where he’d met Han, at The Cantina. Some creep had been trying to hit on Luke, and Han had just appeared, like a hero, told the guy to get lost. From there, they’d spent the rest of the night talking, though Han didn’t seem to be the talking type. It had turned out that they had some mutual friends; just one, really, Land, but that was enough for Han to figure he could give Luke his number without being considered a creep. You know, just in case they were ever all looking to hang out, or something. That was how Han had phrased it. He’d been so nonchalant about the whole thing that Luke hadn’t realized that Han was sort of flirting, and that trend carried on for the next three years.

They’d finally gotten together the night of Luke’s graduation. They’d all gone to The Cantina, as they often did. Luke let himself get a little tipsier than just tipsy, had leaned on Han the whole night. Han had just let him, too, with an arm around his shoulders or his waist that Luke had grown so used to feeling. It was about two in the morning when Luke had climbed onto Han’s lap, just stared into his eyes, told Han he was in love with him. Han had taken him home and tucked him into bed with the promise of a conversation when Luke wasn’t hungover as all hell. It was about four in the afternoon the next day when Han told Luke he loved him, too.

Looking at the box labeled ‘DO NOT OPEN’ a year after Han had left, Luke couldn’t help but smile at the memory of it, of the time they’d had together. They’d been so happy, Luke had thought. Two years. They’d been together for two years, and it had been magical. Luke took a job working at this little bookshop and worked on his photography on the side. Han had worked in a garage only a block or so away. They’d visited each other on their lunch breaks; Han would come in and Luke couldn’t help but take pictures of him because he looked so handsome surrounded by books in dust-filled sunlight. Luke would go to him, and he couldn’t help but take pictures because Han was so handsome when he was in his element like that, fixing up cars, grease on his uniform, a smirk set on his face.

When they weren’t working, they’d go on little adventures. Han liked to get Luke in his car— he’d named it The Falcon— and just take him on little road trips. Driving made Han happy, almost happier than anything, but so did Luke. It was a good match. They’d found this little beach once, about an hour away from town. It wasn’t very popular, almost always just the two of them. That was where Han had taught Luke how to swim. That was where Luke took some of his best pictures. That wasn’t where Han had broken up with Luke, but it may as well have been.

They’d had a day at their beach. It was summer, but not so deep into summer that the heat was unbearable. It was perfect. Luke had taken some pictures, had finally figured out how to do a backflip underwater, had kissed Han until he couldn’t breathe. And Han seemed to be having just as nice of a time. That was what hurt Luke the most, looking back. There wasn’t a single sign. When it had gotten so late that it started to get cold, they’d gone back to Luke’s place.

They’d showered together. As they were getting dressed again, Han had just kept staring. Luke had assumed it was because of what they’d done together aside from getting clean, and had been just about to make a joke about it, when Han had rubbed Luke’s shoulder and told him that they needed to talk. They sat on Luke’s couch and Han had said that it just wasn’t working, that they weren’t a good fit. Luke had cried, asked where it was coming from, had borderline begged Han not to go. Han kissed Luke’s forehead, said goodbye, and that was the last Luke had seen or heard of him in a year— which brought him back to the box.

Han had a few things still at Luke’s place when they’d broken up. There was a few sweatshirts, a spare pair of glasses, a pair of slippers. Nothing serious. Nothing Luke could stand to look at. Lando’d been the one to pack it all away for Luke, a few days after the breakup. That had been about a year ago. Maybe it was time for Luke to move on. How was he going to move on if he didn’t face what had once been one of the most painful reminders of what was lost?

Carefully, Luke opened the box that had been taped over and over again, as if the duct tape served to keep all of the pain in as well as the things. Looking through the box hurt, but the memories that came with it hurt worse. There was the time Han had worn that one sweater to a carnival, while he managed to win Luke a ridiculously large teddy bear, bigger than he was. There was the time Han had accidentally run over his regular pair of glasses and was stuck wearing the backups, which he had always claimed were hipster and hideous, but Luke thought were charming. There was the time they’d been out with all of their friends and it had started raining, and Han had just taken off his sweater and put it on Luke without pausing once in the story he was telling.

And Luke realized that if he ever wanted to move on, it all had to burn.

There wasn’t any harm in doing something constructive with his pain, and he really hadn’t been taking any pictures since the breakup. That was how Luke got the idea for the first picture. Luke took the sweater from the carnival and figured out the exact spot where the game had been, where the picture of Han concentrating so hard on some shooting game had been taken. He set the sweater down on the ground, laid it all out, and set the thing on fire.

It had been nighttime when the first picture had been taken, and that really made setting something on fire in a public place a lot easier. Did it count as destruction of property, or endangering the public, or what the fuck ever, if nobody was around to see it? Luke took a few pictures and stomped the fire out, but that wasn’t good enough. He went through the box, glad that everything in it hurt so bad. There was a picture to go with every item, and Luke set it all on fire in the exact same spot.

That was how it all started.


	2. Chapter Two

[To: Han] You’re fucking stupid, man. -LC  
[To: Lando] Fuck do you want? Haven’t done anything. -HS  
[To: Han] You ever talk to Luke? -LC  
[To: Lando] You know I don’t. -HS  
[To: Lando] Why? -HS  
[To: Lando] Is he okay? -HS  
[To: Han] You busy tonight? -LC  
[To: Lando] Nah. What about Luke? Is he okay? -HS  
[To: Han] Come with me to this gallery. I wanna show you something. -LC

That was how it all started, yeah. Luke had published all the pictures, the Before and After, he’d called it, to his blog. Out of nowhere, he’d gained a massive following. The pictures went viral. Luke’s career took off practically overnight, and it was all thanks to Han, in a way. Of course it was. Luke Skywalker, just some kid with a camera, had made it big. A museum in the nearest big city had set up a deal with Luke, and now his pictures were in a museum, indefinitely.

Of course Han hadn’t heard about it before Lando mentioned it. Of course. He’d never paid much attention to the art world, especially since he’d left Luke, and he’d kept off social media. He went to work, he went home. Sometimes he’d go to bars a few towns over and find someone that had something that reminded him of Luke and he’d fuck them, and then he’d go home. He didn’t even know his Luke—Luke—had done this.

Made sense. He’d always been clever, always been more talented than anyone Han had ever heard of. Of course he was famous now. Han hadn’t even been upset when he saw the pictures. If anything, something like pride, and so much fucking love, had filled his chest until he could barely breathe. He’d laughed, entirely at himself, and said it was the most clever thing he’d ever seen. A few people had recognized him from the pictures, and all Han could do was talk their ear off about how amazing Luke was, about how much he deserved all the success he was getting.

As he bought a t-shirt with the first picture on it, the picture of his old sweatshirt burning, Han realized that he needed to keep leaving Luke the fuck alone. He’d been right; the kid didn’t need someone like Han hanging around, holding him back. That was also right around the time Lando realized that he needed to get Han back into Luke’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick little chapter before the good stuff starts happening!


	3. Chapter Three

Luke hadn’t been to The Cantina in a while. It had only ever been fun going with Han around, and Han wasn’t around anymore. No point in going, really, but Land had managed to convince him that they should all go out and celebrate. His Instagram and Twitter had both been verified, which they all figured was cause enough to go celebrate. On top of that, he was working on another project, also related to Han, and maybe he just needed the distraction. Maybe it was just a really well-deserved night out. That’s what they said, so Luke went.

  
Funny thing was, Lando had also made it his business to tell Han to come out, too, after an hour spent convincing him that seeing Luke again would be good for the both of them. He told Han to get there an hour into the little meet up, because if he knew Luke, he knew that Luke would need time to warm up to his environment. Get a drink or two in him, and he’d be good to go, but sending Han in too soon was a recipe for disaster.

When Han walked in, Luke was caught up with Leia, leaning into her side. Luke was always a big fan of physical contact, and it only got more intense the tipsier he got.

“Leia!” Lando called out, nodding for her to join him where he sat. Leia left Luke’s side, which left him perfectly open for Han to come in, make a move. Perfect. Luke had turned his attention back to his camera, which he kept around his neck at all times. Never knew when inspiration would strike, after all. Even better, Han figured. Easier to approach if Luke wasn’t staring at him.

But, he wasn’t going to show up empty handed. Luke’s drink was just about empty, and Han remembered what he liked. Cosmo. Hell, Han remembered everything about Luke.  
Han made his way to the bar and ordered up a few drinks. A whiskey for himself, Cosmo for Luke. Luke. Han glanced back at Luke over his shoulder, still focused on his camera. God, was he as pretty as ever. That was the damnable thing about Luke. He’d always looked like a fucking angel, had the temperament of one, too, and Han didn’t deserve a guy like that. The kid was always meant for better than Han’s sorry ass.

No matter. The drinks were made, and in Han’s hands, and there was Luke. Wasn’t anything else for him to do but go and see his Luke.  
It was easy enough, sliding into the little booth Luke was sat in. The kid had always had this bad habit of focusing completely on something once it’d caught his attention. That’s what he’d done with Han. That was what’d gotten him into plenty of little situations before. Something Han loved about him. Fuck.

“Looked like you were running low. On me.” Han slid the drink closer to Luke, making damn sure to keep his tone neutral. The last thing he needed was to sound too eager, spook the kid off. And, boy, speaking of spooked. Luke’s eyes went big and wide, and his head shot up so damn hard that Han was nervous he’d hurt his neck.

“Han.” Luke sounded like he was a skip away from bursting out into tears, which wasn’t entirely false. It’d been so damn long since he’d seen Han, and now he was just here. Just there, like nothing had changed. Luke wanted to ask questions. He wanted to know just who the hell Han thought he was, showing up out of nowhere, unannounced, acting like not a single moment had gone by. But he needed to be different. He needed to show Han that he wasn’t just the same person that he’d left. If Han wanted to act like nothing had happened, hell. Luke could follow his lead, no problem.

“Hey. Thanks, was running low.”

Han was a little shocked. He knew his Luke, and his Luke never just let things go that he didn’t understand. It was something else he’d always loved. Inquisitive kid. Real curious. It was a good thing to be. And now, fuck, he just didn’t seem to care at all that Han had just popped back up out of nowhere. He was a little shocked, but there was no chance that he was going to let that show. Luke wanted to play it like that? Han could play it like that, too.

“How many’ve you had, kid? You don’t seem too tipsy yet, or nothing. God knows you’re real obvious when you’re tipsy.” Han teased, gently nudging Luke with his shoulder. Familiar territory. Comfortable.

“Just, like, two. Would’ve stopped, but someone insisted on getting me another.”

It was the kind of light back and forth that had made their relationship so easy. It felt strange, just jumping back into it. What were they jumping back into, exactly? Friendship?Acquaintanceship? Luke was always going to love Han, that much was simple. The rest of it could be as complicated as it needed to be, Luke didn’t care. All that mattered that Han was sitting here, real as anything.

“Uh huh, sure. Was gonna stop at two. I bet.” Han grinned, and it melted into a smirk almost instantly. No need to look too sincere too soon. Better to leave a little mystery, wasn’t it? Better to leave the kid guessing.

“Hey, hey! If you’re gonna tease, you should acknowledge your own hand in my corruption.” And maybe that hit Han a little hard, though he knew Luke didn’t mean for it to. It just did. He knew the kid had a point in ways bigger than drinks at the bar. Luke had been this perfect angel when Han had come along, and now look at him. Wasn’t even blinking twice at some scumbag ex crawling back into his life. Look at how Han’d corrupted him.

“What can I say?” What could Han say? Luke was right, simple as that. “Hey. Saw the display the other day. Dunno if that’s the right word for it, or whatever. Real good job, though. Pictures came out nice. Clever idea, too. Loved it.”

Maybe Luke’s heart flooded. Han had seen his work. Han loved it. The pictures that were more or less about Luke burning Han out of his life. He’d liked that. Loved that. Did that mean something? Luke tried not to focus on it. No need. “T-thank you. Yeah, wow, thank you. I didn’t know you’d seen it.”

“Lando went with me.” As if that made it less strange.

“Lando.” Of course it’d been Lando. Lando had become Luke’s personal therapist during the fall of his life after Han. “You seen him yet tonight?” It was a way of asking just what the fuck Han was doing there without actually asking.

“Yeah. There he is, right over there. Got a good look.” Han nodded to where Leia and Lando sat, his eyes never once leaving Luke. God, was he gorgeous. Out of Han’s league, always had been. “Come see me.”

Luke didn’t need to be told twice. He scooted closer to Han in the booth, and it didn’t feel strange at all. It was strange, Luke knew that, just letting Han back in like this without questions. But Luke loved contact, and he loved Han. If Han wanted him closer, Luke wasn’t going to say no. His head rested on Han’s arm, his new drink in hand. “Hi.”

  
Han hadn’t expected that. He hadn’t expected that the kid would just cuddle up to him like it was nothing. Luke was full of surprises tonight, it seemed. Han sort of liked that. He looped an arm around Luke’s shoulder, keeping him right where he was. This was nice. He’d missed this more than he’d realized.

“Hey, Lukey.” Han murmured, the nickname ridiculous and cutesy and private. Didn’t need to go yelling it over the sound of the bar. Maybe Luke wouldn’t hear. Wasn’t really for his benefit either way.

They let the music of the bar wash over them for a while. It was some jazz band that night, and it was nice. Familiar. They used to do this all the time, back when. They’d come to the bar, Luke’d get a little tipsy, they’d listen to music and cuddle in their booth.

But, that was then. Now, Han couldn’t let that happen for too long because it felt as if he was lying to himself, lying to Luke. It didn’t feel fair, letting himself enjoy that kind of quiet with Luke. Didn’t feel right at all.

“Proud of you, you know that?” Han murmured, close to Luke’s ear. It caused Luke to turn his head, till it up a little so he could look at Han better. And, fuck, Han melted.

“Thank you.” It wasn’t something Luke had known. None of this made sense, but Luke wasn’t going to complain. He didn’t need Han to leave again. If it made sense to Han, whatever was happening, that was enough for Luke.

“What’ve you been up to?” Luke asked, careful to keep his tone light and airy. It was another soft inquiry into what the fuck had kept Han away for so long without him actually asking.

“Lemme show you.” Han sat up straight, got _the look_ in his eye. There was this specific look Han got when he wanted to do something wild and adventurous, and fuck, Luke had missed seeing it. “Right now. How’s about we leave right now?”

Right now? Well, Luke figured there wasn’t a single thing in the bar keeping him where he was, other than Han. “Let’s go.”  
Han pulled out his wallet and left some cash on the table, and then he slid out of the booth. Somewhere in the middle, his arm had come back from around Luke’s shoulders and his hand found one of Luke’s, pulling him along gently. Han caught Lando’s eye, gave him a grin. It seemed he had Luke back, even if just for the night, and that was all thanks to Lando. Han owed him big.

Han’s attention went back to Luke and to getting Luke out of the bar. And, hell, while he was doing that, he couldn’t help but look at all the people that were looking at Luke, too. No chance. Han let go of Luke’s hand, which earned him a small whine, and put his arm around Luke’s waist, holding him close. So, maybe he was a little possessive. Not a huge deal. Once they were outside, Han led Luke to where he’d parked the Falcon, grinning at the sight of it. All he’d been up to since he’d left Luke was work, fixing cars. But, he’d fixed up his own a little, added some new paint, new interior, and he was damn proud.

There’d never been a day in Luke’s life when he’d been unimpressed by something Han had done, something he’d taken great pride in. The sight of the Falcon all fixed up was no exception. Luke’s eyes went wide and he gasped, turning his head to look up at Han.

“You did this?”

Han nodded, thumb rubbing slowly along Luke’s waist as he stared at the Falcon, his baby. “Yeah. Been working on some upgrades for a while now. Thought she deserved it.” Han left out that he’d also done it to keep himself from just running back to Luke. The breakup had happened for a reason, but without the distraction, Han would’ve gone right back.

“You did a really good job. Absolutely beautiful.” Luke pulled the camera up from around his neck and snapped a few pictures of the Falcon, sitting there under the moonlight, looking like an updated memory. That’s what this all felt like, an updated memory. “Click.”

Han chuckled softly as he watched Luke go at it, resisting the urge to try and pull Luke even closer. Lord knew that Han knew better than to mess with Luke while he was taking a picture. He’d been chewed outmode than a few times for messing up a shot. When he was sure Luke was all through, he nudged his side.

“Wanna go on a drive?” Han asked, real close to Luke’s ear again. And, hell. Of course Luke wanted to go on a drive. He hasn’t been on a drive with Han in so long. That was home. Luke wanted to go home.

“Please.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be adding new chapters as I finish them! Hope you enjoy! :* 
> 
> Title is from The Saxophones - Best Boy
> 
>  
> 
> Inspired by a really cool rp I did a few nights ago on Omegle with a partner I lost TWICE because of technical issues. Stranger, if you're out there, lemme know!


End file.
